What to do if newborn baby has high jaundice

Jaundice is a normal problem for newborns, and its main manifestation is yellowing of the baby's skin. Jaundice normally appears in newborns a few days after birth, but in a small number of cases it occurs at birth. There are two main types of jaundice: physiological and pathological. Physiological jaundice will disappear on its own, while pathological jaundice requires treatment. So what should we do if our baby’s jaundice levels are high?

Newborns will experience jaundice 3-5 days after birth, which is a normal phenomenon. The jaundice index should generally not exceed 15mg/dL. This is within the normal range and is physiological. Parents do not need to be too nervous, but if the jaundice index is high, you can try the following methods.

1. Drink plain water

Children must be fed 30 ml of boiled water every morning and evening, and should also drink an appropriate amount of water during the day so that they can eliminate jaundice in their bodies as soon as possible. If you are breastfeeding, it's fine, but if you are drinking formula, you need to add water.

2. Drink glucose

When you find that the neonatal jaundice index is high, give the child some glucose water. Add glucose to water and feed it to the child. This is an effective way to remove jaundice.

3. Sunbathe

Around 10 o'clock every morning, when the sun is not very strong, let your child bask in the sun, trying to expose the child's skin as much as possible, but avoid exposing the eyes.

4. Stop breastfeeding

If the above methods do not work, then stop breastfeeding for 2-3 days. Because the cause of high jaundice may be breast milk, the jaundice index will drop after stopping breastfeeding.

Neonatal jaundice index standard

Physiological jaundice

Usually, the skin of a newborn baby is a little yellow, which can be seen with the naked eye 2 days after birth. The yellowing reaches its peak at 3-5 days and will mostly disappear at 7-10 days. At this time, the jaundice index (serum bilirubin value) is generally within the normal range of no more than 15 mg/dL.

Pathological jaundice

There are many causes of pathological jaundice. The criteria for full-term and premature babies are different. Mothers should send their babies to the hospital for observation as long as they find the following conditions:

(1) When jaundice is detected in a newborn within 24 hours of birth, it is called “early-onset jaundice”.

(2) The jaundice index rises too high all of a sudden, increasing by more than 5 mg/dL a day. This is a common symptom of hemolytic jaundice (the blood types of the mother and baby are incompatible).

(3) The jaundice index is too high, reaching 15 mg/dL.

(4) It lasts too long. Physiological jaundice generally lasts for 7-10 days. If it lasts for more than 2 weeks, you should pay attention.